Fore and aft rigging questions

[SardonicMeow]

The time is soon approaching when I will start the rigging of my model, Virginia 1819 from AL.  As a complete novice, I am full of anxiety.  It doesn't help that the kit instructions basically say "We're not going to tell you where each line goes, just look at the (completely inadequate) pictures."

 

Thankfully, MSW user Trufo has posted some detailed diagrams of each line in this post.  After studying those diagrams at length, I'm most of the way there to figuring out how each line runs, but I still have a few questions.  The ship is a schooner with a relatively simple sailplan: a jib, foresail, mainsail, and single gaff topsail.

 

1. The jib downhaul runs from the head of the job through a block at the end of the bowsprit and is secured on one of the bowsprit bitts.  Is it just loose from the head of the jib to the block?  Or attached to the stay?  Or sewn into the luff edge of the jib?

 

2. The diagrams show a line from the tack of the mainsail going downwards, but it isn't clear where it ends.  Does it attach to the boom near the jaws?  Or down to the base of the mainmast?  (I am thinking that I might omit this line anyway, as the lowest mast hoop should hold the tack corner of the mainsail in the right position.  For what it's worth, there is no corresponding line for the foresail, which has no boom.)

 

3. The topping lift for the boom runs from the end of the boom up to a block at the trestle trees and down to the base of the mainmast.  However, the diagram is only showing the starboard side.  Is there an identical topping lift on the port side of the mainsail?  Or is there just the one, and I need to decide which side it goes on?

 

4. Do brails run continuously from one side, through the sail at the leech edge, to the other side?  Or are there pairs of separate lines, one on each side, that start at the same point on the leech edge?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[popeye2sea]

Here is the info that I have.  It may be that it varied somewhat for different rigs.

 

1. the jib downhaul would be led through a few hanks to keep it from hanging loose.

 

2. The tack runs to an eyebolt at the deck near the mast. Sometimes with a tackle.

 

3. The boom topping lift is double.

 

4. Brails are paired and bend seperately to the sail on either side of the same cringle.

 

Regards,

 

[Dziadeczek]

Perhaps L. Petersson "Rigging fore and aft craft" would be helpful?

[SardonicMeow]

Thanks, Henry.  That's very helpful.

 

[JerseyCity Frankie]

The tack will likely attach to a ring bolt on top of the boom close in to the jaws of the boom, but it’s possible to find tackle on the tack which allows the tack to be raised to spill wind or allow the helmsman to see ahead-you see this in MANY old paintings.

the downhaul on the headsail can run directly attached only at the head of the sail down to the turning block but often there is a “lizard”, a very short bit of line with an eye in it  midway down the luff of the sail, through which the downhaul is rove.

If it were my vessel ide have two boom topping lifts but there are examples of single topping lifts (Joshua Sloakum’s Spray had only one). A single topping lift will always have a negative effect on sail shape on one tack since the sail will press against it, two topping lifts allows you to slack one to avoid this. Brails I don’t know much about. If it were me I’d want one on each side to help control the canvas but obviously one line would work, it’s just a question of subtleties.

 

Finally, I never let an opportunity pass to warn people about Petersson’s “Fore and aft Craft” book. It’s FULL of nonsense rigging. True he gets much of the basics correct, there are ample problems in the minutiae. Approach with scepticism.

Edited January 20, 2018 by JerseyCity Frankie

[SardonicMeow]

Thanks for the responses.  It looks like I have several valid options.